By Monwabisi Jimlongo
Veteran boxing promoter Rodney Berman from Golden Gloves has described the late Mzimasi ‘Bro Mzi’ ‘Mnguni as a genius.
Mnguni, a legendary boxing trainer and promoter, passed away aged 73 on Saturday morning.
Popularly known as Planga in Eastern Cape boxing circles, Mnguni took his last breath at Life Beacon Bay in East London.
Alice-born Mnguni fell in love with boxing during the late 1970s after spending years working in Johannesburg.
He became one of the most successful boxing trainers leading Welcome Ncita, Vuyani Bungu, Zolani Petelo and Mbulelo Botile to world stardom.
“This is a very sad loss. He was a genius in boxing. I don’t think his achievements were ever really recognised. For me he will be sorely missed,” Berman said.
The Golden Gloves boss’ working relationship with the deceased spanned more than three decades.
“Our relationship goes back to more than 35 years. What I remember most is the best boxing partnership in the history of this country,” Berman said.
“Mnguni produced fighters, we promoted them. But his achievements were short of being miraculous, they were genius. He was training his fighters in very spartan conditions sometimes in classrooms in Mdantsane. We took his fighters overseas to fight against champions, who had been training in state-of-the-art gymnasiums.”
According to Berman, his biggest night of working with Mnguni was in March 1990 in Tel Aviv, Israel, when Ncita defeated Spain-born Frenchman Fabrice Benichou to have the International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt strapped around his waist.
“People always ask me about my best night in boxing, the biggest in my career. I have had some big nights, but the best fight in my career was the night in Israel when Welcome won the world title,” said Berman.
“Before that we had not produced a world champion in many years. I think Welcome was the first world champion for both of us. It was a very, very big night something I will never forget.
“I remember that Mzi had to go back home to the Eastern Cape because there were riots and they had burnt down his shop. Welcome was fighting two days later.”
Berman has revealed that he was against taking Bungu to fight against Kennedy McKinney, who had dethroned Ncita, because he thought Bungu was not ready at the time. However, he gave in after Mnguni persuaded him to give Bungu the break.
“We had many moments with Mzi. One of them was Vuyani Bungu winning a world title. In my opinion, that was the biggest victory by a South African. He beat an Olympic gold medallist and an unbeaten world champion,” he said.
“It’s a fight that I didn’t want because I thought Vuyani was not up to standard and I didn’t want him to have a loss. It was only because of my confidence in Mzi as he persuaded me to do that fight. I had told him that I didn’t want Vuyani to be overpowered and disgrace himself. That night was great as Vuyani won using Mzi’s tactics.”
Mnguni received a Lifetime Achievement Award from former Minister of Sport Thulas Nxesi at the 2017 South African Boxing Awards ceremony in Port Elizabeth.
Before he fell in love with the fistic sport, Mnguni was a football fanatic swearing by the maroon and white colours of Moroka Swallows.
